Compressing tool with reversible jaws



J ROGOFF 2,635,494

COMPRESSING TOOL WITH REVERSIBLE JAWS Filed Aug. 25, 1949 INVENTOR Jul an Rqy B W/ ATTO NEY mm & wm

April 21, 1953 Patented Apr. 21, 1953 COMPRESSING TOOL WITH REVERSIBLE JAWS Julian Rogoff, New Rochelle, N. Y., assignor to Burndy Engineering Co. Inc., a corporation of New York Application August 25, 1949, Serial No. 112,299

2 Claims.

With the present day wide spread use of indented electrical connectors which enables a mechanical connection to be made in a minimum of time, the need has arisen for a simple indenting tool providing suiiicient versatility to meet the varied demands of such connections.

To meet the problem of providing a tool to accommodate a wide range of connector sizes, it has been suggested that a plurality of die surfaces of varying dimensions be formed on the inner edges of cooperating jaw members to accommodate ferrules of different sizes. However the number of die surfaces that can be accommodated on the jaw members in present use are limited to the length of the jaws. A jaw of extra length requires stronger jaw members and hand levers, which increases the weight and size of the tool, resulting in higher production costs. Also a heavier tool for the operator to manipulate, decreases his efliciency. In addition as the length of the jaw members is increased, a greater span of the hand levers of the tool is required to open and close the jaw members, making the tool awkward to operate, especially in confined quarters.

I have found that I can double the number of die surfaces on any given size jaw members of an indenting tool, thus accommodating twice as many different ferrule sizes, by providing reversible jaw members and forming corresponding die surfaces on both sides of my jaw members. '01" in the alternative where such greater number of die surfaces are not required, I can de- Crease the size of the jaw members and consequently the size of the tool and still accommodate a greater variety of ferrule sizes than was heretofore possible. By this construction, I utilize an edge of the jaw members that hitherto had no function in the prior art tools.

It is therefore a primary object of my invention to provide a compressing tool that will accommodate a greater variety of ferrule sizes than heretofore available.

A further object of my invention is to provide :a compressing tool with removable and/or replaceable jaw members that have die surfaces on each longitudinal edge, which jaw members can be reversed for use with opposing die surfaces.

Still further objects of my invention are to provide a compressing tool including the jaw members that can be easily formed, such as stamping, from sheet metal; to provide jaw members that are provided with integrally formed bearing surfaces to facilitate the pivoting action of the jaws during the opening and closing movement; to provide a compressing tool that can be easily assembled to permit the jaw members to be reversed or replaced and which affords a more compact unit for storage or shipment; and to provide a compressing tool that is lighter in weight for any given number of die surfaces, easier to manipulate, and which can be inexpensively manufactured.

I accomplish these and other objects and obtain my new results as will be apparent from the device described in the following specification, particularly pointed out in the claims, and illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which Fig. 1 is a longitudinal front elevation of my compressing tool illustrating the novel jaw memhere in closed position, and partially in section.

Fig. 2 is a side elevational view thereof.

Fig. 3 is a front elevation view of one of the complementary jaw members, and

Fig. 4 is a front elevational view of the other complementary jaw member.

Referring to the drawing, reference numeral Ill designates a plier type of compressing tool including hand levers I! and I2 pivotally mounted to each other at their shank portions by pin l3, and secured therein by snap retainin rings M. The hand levers may be constructed of heat treated alloy steel and stamped into a channel shaped cross-sectional configuration with plugs l5 mounted in the end of the handles about which handle grips [6 are mounted.

Jaw members I! and I8 are rotatable mounted to their respective hand levers by readily removable bolts l9 and 20 which extend through apertures 2| and 22 at the inner end of each jaw member. The jaw members are pivotally connected to each other through connecting links 23 mounted on each side of the jaw members through link pin 24 and bolt 25, which extend through aperture 26 and 21 centrally positioned in their respective jaw members. Pin 24 may be retained in position by snap retaining rings 28.

As illustrated in Fig. 1, the jaw members are in a closed position to crimp a connector (not shown) inserted therebetween. To open the jaw members, the hand levers are moved away from each other, pivoting at pin [3 and rotate the inner ends of the jaws toward each other and the outer ends apart, rocking the jaws about pin 24 and bolt 25. To assist in maintaining the jaw members in alignment, each jaw member is provided with an integrally formed projection 29 and a recess 38 transversely aligned, when in engagement, with pin 24 and bolt 25; the projection on one jaw engaging the recess on the other to form bearing surfaces for the rocking action of the jaws.

The jaw members, as shown in Figs. 3 and 4, are each provided with four difierent corresponding working or die surfaces of varying depth, namely 3|, 32, 33 and 34 adapted to receive respectively various conductor sizes, for example as illustrated, #2, #4, #6, and #8. His noted that the jaw members have lateral symmetry in the die surfaces, with each jaw member having a die surface correspondingnto .theotherjaw member and arranged to be positioned adjacent and opposing each other to crimp a connector between. The center of the are representing the die surfaces on each edgeofthe'tool are'radially spaced from the center of their respective projection 29 or recess 30 about whichthey pivot during the crimping action. Adjacent each die surface, the edge of the jaw members may berecessed as at 35 to receive the flash when the connector is crimped.

Apertures 2|, 26and22, 21 in jaw members and I8 respectively are positioned along a plane passing through the longitudinal center line to enable the jaws to be symmetrical and thus be reversely positioned in the tool.

The arrangement of the projection 29 and recess 30 on each jaw member must of necessity be non-symmetrical, with a projection and a recess located on the inner and outer'surfaces of the jaws to insure a bearing surface on the contacting portions of the jaw members in either position.

The jaw members can be installed in the tool in one of two positions, As illustrated in Fig. 1, die surfaces 3| and 32 are in a working position capable of crimping a #6 or #4 conductor. If a #2 or #8 size conductor is to be crimped, the jaws may be reversed by removing bolts 19 and 20 thus disconnecting the jaws from the hand levers. To avoid loss of the connecting link, only pin 24 need be detached byremoving retaining rings 28, and the link swung to the other side where the other jaw may berepositioned in a reverse position and the jaws reinstalled to the hand levers.

To permit the jaw membersto be rocked between the open and closed positions the longitudinal edges 36 and 31 on each side of the jaw members are sloped from the projection and recess respectively forming an obtuse angle and extending toward'the longitudinal axis at each end of the jaw members, thus allowing the widest part of the jaw members to be at the fulcrum point of the jaws permitting suflicient clearance between the ends of the jaw members for the rocking action.

While I have illustrated jaw members having four different die surfaces, it is apparent that my invention is not limited to this construction, for the number can be varied according to the particular requirements of the tool.

Thus my'invention makes possible a compressing or crimping tool, provided with reversible jaw members having corresponding die surfaces on both longitudinal sides of each jaw affording a maximum number of die surfaces per tool.

By providing both sides of the jaw'members with die surfaces, I can increase the number of die surfaces and simultaneously reduce the size of the jaws, decreasing the weight and strength of the parts which reflect in lower costs and more ease in handling the tool.

In my novel construction the necessity for different sized tools for the various sizes of conductors is eliminated. Where on the particular installation, a greater number of conductor sizes are present than can be accommodated with one set of jaw members, additional sets may be provided 'withthe tool to accommodate the additional conductor sizes and account for any possible breakage, which sets can be readily interchanged,

. By providing jaw members with integrally formed bearing surfaces, I forego the necessity of providing an additional element, such as a -pin.' I can stamp my jaw members, as well as the hand levers, from sheet metal which affords a very economical construction and get a tool hav- 1 ing therequired strength.

a and, therefore, I can claim broadly the right to "employ all equivalent instrumentalities coming within the 'scopeiof the appended claims, and by 'means of which, objects of my invention are at- :tained and new results accomplished, as it is obvious "that the particular embodiments herein shown and described'are only some of the many that can be'employed to attain these objects and accomplish these results.

I claim:

1. A compressing tool. comprising a plurality of jaw members, at least one of said jaw members being movable with respect to the other jaw -member; said movable jaw member having a plurality of working surfaces symmetrically positioned longitudinally along two edges thereof;

a'lever-pivotally connected to one end of said :movable jaw member for operating the same; pivot'means mounted intermediate the working surfaces and the endof said movable jaw member connected to said lever, for supporting the --movable -jaw member in rotatable position with respect tothe other jaw member; said movable 'jaw member being reversibly mounted on said pivot means with its inner longitudinal edge portion in engagement with the inner longitudinal edge portion of the other jaw member at the pivot means/said movable jaw member being tapered along both longitudinal edges from the pivot means to the point of connection with the lever, to permit rocking action of said movable jaw member in either ofits reversible positions. 2. The-tool of claim 1, wherein the edges of the jaws are provided with transversely aligned complementary inter-engaging portions, to enable their alignment in either one of their reversible positions.

JULIAN ROGOFF.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 775,783 Siple Nov. 22, 1904 1,107,684 Mallory Aug. 18, 1914 1,201,723 Hammond Oct. 17, 1915 1,321,208 Hinnershitz Nov. 11, 1919 1,930,384 Dressen Oct. 10, 1933 2,244,482 Baxter et a1 June 3, 194. 

